Innovation Playlist

Small steps lead to big change!

Face it. Like all organizations, schools get locked into routine, impeding change. But all schools need to innovate to prepare kids for a dynamic and uncertain future. The question is, “How?” The Innovation Playlist can help your school make positive, informed change. It represents a teacher-led model, based on small steps leading to big change, that draws on best practices from outstanding educators and non-profits from across the country.

The Innovation Playlist consists of albums (the big goals on the left) and tracks (the small steps on the right that help you reach each big goal). Each track can be done quickly — fifteen minutes to a day or two — with minimal downside and lots of upside. The playlist process can be led by a school’s principal, by faculty at the school, grade or department level, or even by a family at home.

The “Mobilize Your Community” album is the ideal place to start, letting you generate enthusiasm for innovation. Then, focus on a few tracks in coming months. Start with one (e.g., Curiosity Time), find a few eager volunteers to try it (many will!), and have them share their experience with the entire faculty. Over time, encourage the early adopters to go deeper, and others to give it a try. Innovation is contagious.

This “small steps leading to big change” model means you don’t risk the painfully-visible failure that inevitably comes from a sweeping top-down dictum. Each teacher can innovate as much, or as little, as fits their strengths and styles. Give permission to those itching to innovate, and let them run with it. And if a teacher isn’t up for this kind of innovation, that’s ok, too… It can be a good thing for students to experience a range of pedagogies.

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Do you have questions, comments, or ideas? We’d love to hear from you.Click here to share them with us.